New BP owner =)

[Tray]

Hey I'm just checkin in. I love your website, its exactly what I was looking for.

Last saturday I bought a ball python for the first time after reading a book on them. I raised numerous lizards over the years, but this is my first snake.

I bought a book called Ball Python Manual before I got the snake. It seems pretty informative, but I have to say your caresheet is a lot easier to read and more to the point.

I'll probably spend the next hour reading all the forums. I'm paranoid when it comes to new pets and I want to make sure my ball pythons well taken care of.

So far I have it in a 30 gallon tank. The BP is a male (bought from LLL Reptile in Oceanside, Ca). It's almost 3 feet in length, I don't know its age. Not sure if it was CB or imported, but according to LLL it sold to them as a prior pet. I fed it a large mouse yesterday and everything went smoothly. It seems pretty docile, and it seems to have gotten adjusted to its new environment pretty smoothly.

Speaking of which I have a few questions.

So far I don't see any signs of stress, but I'm used to reading lizards, not snakes. Any advice on what I should look for?

Also LLL staff told me to feed it mice at first, then small rats. Are rats better then mice to feed BP's? I've had conflicting reports on both.

I've purchased from LLL reptile in the past, and honestly they're the only reptile store around me I trust. They told me the snake was healthy and I believe them. I did notice on its body though, it seems to have some random dead scales that look like the shed didn't come off, is this normal for a snake?

Thanks in advance for your help, and again this is a great website. Go easy.

-Tray

Awesome glad to hear you like the site & that you read up first!

Now on feeding.........I would definately get to rats ASAP! Rats are far more nutritous then mice are. I feed all my snakes rats...I even started my BCI on rats....and my old female ate rats right away also when she was only 18''. But obvioulsy I cant feed my 12'' Black Ratsnake them

Now the dead scales COULD be retained shed...or scars. Really no way of telling, at least I cant. MY snake has scars from the massive amounts of ticks he had(he was a WC). But now he's fine.

Keep us updated...OH and if I didnt answer any ?'s please tell me...its 500am haha and I havent been to bed yet!!!!!!

[RPlank]

Hi, Tray, and welcome.
Stress in BP's usually manifests itself in their feeding behaviors. They will quit eating if they are not provided the right temperatures, handled too much, don't have adequate places to hide, if you look at them funny...etc.
Most people choose to feed rats, mainly because it is easier/cheaper to feed one rat to an adult BP, rather than 3-6 mice. There is some evidence that rats provide better nutrition, but it depends on the age of the rat vs. mouse. Check out this post for more on that.... http://www.ball-pythons.net/index.ph...opic&t=180
Sounds like your BP has some old shed left on it. Not a problem. You can get it wet and take it off, or leave it until the next shed.
Glad to have you here!
Any questions you have will be gladly answered by someone here! We pride ourselves on being a very friendly community.

[BallKingdom]

rats are over all the better way to go. By now it your bp should be of size to take rats. When they can take rats, they should. I started my male on them a few months back, and he started getting huge.

About the stress aspect. I really have never seen a ball python, cb, become stressed. With lizards if you hold them in excess of ten minutes they may become stressed, stop eating, and become very agitated. I hold my bp's for hours at a time even, and they eat fine, except for one. I made the mistake of housing mine together, and the babies did stress out my male so he won't eat. But as far as handling goes, no problem. They're very easy going.

Thanks for the comment on my caresheet. By the way, how did you find us?

[Tray]

Thanks for your advice. Next week I'll grab a small rat and see how he takes it. One more quick question on the rats, if he does take them, should I still feed him weekly like mice or wait longer?

As for the website, I actually ran across is while looking at the forums on Kingsnake.com. I think a poster there had a link in one of the replies. and I just followed it.

Thanks for the info as well about how BP's react when stressed. So far I've handled him a little about 5 minutes each time. As a rule I generally don't like handling my past herps right after they've eaten. I'll leave him alone until he leaves a mess.

Out of curiosity, is there a maximum / minimum reccomended time I should handle him? While I'm eager to bring him out everytime I walk past his enclosure, I know too much attention is a bad thing.

One last noob question, how bad does it hurt when these guys bite?

Thanks again for your help and good replies, and sorry for all the questions. Just making sure I'm doing everything right. Oh and when I typed in ball python info on google, this is by far the best site I've seen listed.

[RPlank]

If you wait till he defecates, it could be a while! I have some that only go once a month! As a general rule, 48 hours after feeding it is considered safe to handle your BP. There is no general guideline for amount/duration of handling. Just be aware of your BP's preferences. If he hisses at you, it's a hint! I handle mine 2-4 times a week, anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour, depending on the snake (I have 7 BP's).
My 3 footers usually eat a small to medium sized rat once every 2 weeks or so. Rule of thumb is one prey item as large as or slightly larger than the biggest part of the snake. If your BP isn't ready for another meal, he won't eat, so don't worry about overfeeding him.
Sometimes I vary prey size, just because they are opportunists in the wild, and don't always get the same size food. (Besides, it is fun to watch them eat something one and a half times their size!)
Can't help you much on your bite question. The only time I have been bit was by a juvenile, and she only got me with one tooth. If you've never seen a BP's teeth, they are like needles. It felt like a pinprick. Look at the pic in InvaderToast's photo gallery, you can see BP teeth. Oh, yeah. If you want a gallery, send me, BallKingdom, or Jeanne a Private Message. We'll hook you up with your own photo gallery.

Keep askin' those questions, it's a good way to learn!

[Tray]

Cool thanks for the help! I'll follow those guidelines then. I did see the picture of the BP yawning, thats amazing.

I'll be very wary if it ever does hiss at me. I read the only time pythons get relatively snippy is when they're shedding. I'll try handling him tomorrow then, the mouse should be digested by then hopefully.

Thanks again for your help, looks like I'll make this my permanent home for info.

[Wizill]

welcome tray, for someone new to bp's you're definitely in the right place. look foward to reading your posts and hopefully seeing a few pics of that bp .